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Post by andypandy380 on Aug 18, 2016 13:29:15 GMT -5
Well hello! So Rustblade have a new Merzbow album on the way... 2 CD or a 3CD limited box in a bag thing with bits n pieces. Interestingly enough, the third CD on the deluxe version is a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks. It includes the Ko To No O To single from 3 or 4 years ago plus 'Calling the Rain' which was announced, but I don't think it ever saw the light of day until now... If I recall correctly, it was a project where sounds were created using only a jews harp/jaw harp. So that could be well worth getting hold of. The sample sounds similar to some of Kibako, previously released by Rustblade, very electro-acoustic.
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Post by davebowman on Aug 23, 2016 13:08:09 GMT -5
As someone who is primarily a fan of music, rather than packaging, I am not a huge fan of Rustblade's habit of putting bonus discs in overpriced boxsets with other bits of tat. That said, at least this one doesn't seem to have an even more expensive 60/70 Euro 'super deluxe' verson like 'Lop Lop' or 'Kibako'...yet.
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Post by qweasd on Aug 25, 2016 4:20:39 GMT -5
I agree - it's ridiculous. The days of a single CD Merzbow release, or a genuine multi-disc boxset without unnecessary bells and whistles or multi format styles are virtually gone. I personally add vinyl releases and the overabundance of collaborations to this pile thereby reducing Merzbow's output to about 1 - 1.5 albums per year over the last 5 years or so. There's obviously a story behind this which we'll probably never know. What happened to Important Records' championing of Merzbow? etc etc. (hundreds of unsold 13JB discs perhaps). Anyway, Rustblade continue to alienate its Merzbow fans - I'm sure they make up for it with the few people that still buy their overpriced releases, obviously it's a business model they ain't letting go of.
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Post by andypandy380 on Aug 25, 2016 12:03:10 GMT -5
The recent output has been frustrating. As a fan of his work, I'd (attempt to) buy every single release if they were all standard CD digipaks. I'd definitely go as far as to include vinyl into this... it caters for fetishists rather than music fans. There are logical reasons why no-one buys or releases VHS/Betamax/laserdiscs anymore, it feels weird to me that other music formats have come back into vogue... there's a certain type of moron that seems to be more nostalgic about winding a cassette tape back in with a pencil than actually listening to it... I am looking forward to this release however, but you guys are right in what you say, I'd like to get the 3CD set for the extra music, but it's just a one-off really. It does forever feel like you'd have to buy into an exclusive club just to hear the music you want to hear. I don't really agree with it. There are labels worse than rustblade for this kind of thing who only release 'limited art editions' of music that is not available at all elsewhere. Do you not want people to listen to it? It gets to the point now where every time an artist I like puts out new music I have my fingers crossed that it's nothing more than a CD digipak that I can stand alongside others on a shelf.
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Post by davebowman on Aug 25, 2016 16:56:25 GMT -5
Presumably sales of bog-standard CDs are so low, that the only way record companies can try and generate some profit is in these style of releases. I've got no issues with record companies making deluxe versions house in exotic packaging for those who get off on that stuff, but when the only way to hear the entirety of a release it to be forced to buy into such extravagance, it's a real pain. It actually puts me off buying the standard version - I still haven't got round to buying 'Konchuuki', for example, as I didn't have cash to splurge on the limited boxset, and if I do order the standard version I'll know I am not getting the whole of the music, but am missing a couple of tracks. So, I just haven't bothered.
Vinyl is more visually exciting, but the sound quality is inferior to CD, and the real killer is the price of postage. If a release comes out vinyl only, and it's from a country halfway round the world, you have to pay through the nose to get hold of one.
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Post by andypandy380 on Oct 20, 2016 16:47:29 GMT -5
Just had a lazy evening listening through the three CDs, (deluxe version came in the post yesterday) So yeah, it's pretty good, first impressions an' all. A similar album in many ways to Kibabo, released on Rustblade about 4 years ago, in that it runs a bit like a compilation and showcases a variety of styles. First track took me by surprise, very much a late 90s era Merzbow track, quite harsh and abrasive. The next couple of tracks are quite playful, exploring a multitude of sounds, pretty much everything you'd expect but like all at once. There is perhaps an emphasis on organic sounds, the scratching of violins/piano wire and percussion... there are points where this combines with very digital sounds, so it's a nice mix of things really. A lot of bubbling/chirping, there are sounds that i'm fairly sure were incorporated into the Kookaburra live album. 'Granulation 221' previously appeared on the Animal Liberation Split CD. CD2 stands out to me as the better of the two discs. First track has a continuous, very satisfying loop and the whole track carries a lot of weight with a really earthy distorted sound. The following track could have almost appeared on Merzbeat... quite stripped back, with a continuous beat. Very interesting sounds that i don't quite know hoe to describe... quite a short track, but a standout for me Track 3 has some very prominent tribal drumming paired with digital noise (think albums like 'a taste of' or the merz series) Track 4 is quite thick and droney I'd say the third CD is well worth having as a bonus too. First couple of tracks are fairly similar to Nezumimochi, Wildwood, Konchuuki, but are short and don't really outstay their welcome. Its nice to hear Calling The Rain after all this time, I don't think its anything that remarkable but it's a little out of the ordinary for sure, it features a lot of that scratchy violin sound which has been prominent on a few other releases of late. The first track features jews harp completely unmanipulated, but the second distorts it and skews it... there's also an ongoing howl (i think synthesizer) that builds to quite an intensity. Ko To No O To was previously released as a 7" single some time ago now, I always thought it was quite a strong couple of tracks. the first is buzzy, while the second is very percussive. (I overlooked the fact that the clip in the sample video is actually taken from this...) The final track 'Guitar' rounds things off with a satisfying wall of feedback...
Id be interested to know if anyone has heard this or has any thoughts they'd like to share. I'd say it's probably one of the strongest Merzbow albums in some time.
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